


Come A Little Bit Closer

by buntepunkte



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: AU setting, Canon Divergent, Cussing, Dance classes, F/M, The Ark Station, i am not sure if there is but if not then there will be, i honestly have no idea what tags to use so here have this thanks
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-24
Updated: 2019-10-24
Packaged: 2021-01-02 14:55:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,860
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21163505
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/buntepunkte/pseuds/buntepunkte
Summary: Mandatory dance classes were scheduled for an upcoming celebratory event. Raven Reyes hates dancing, but what if she only needs the right partner?





	Come A Little Bit Closer

**Author's Note:**

> So... I was watching Anne with an E, and got inspired by THAT scene. So of course I had to make it Murven. I actually wanted to make this a one shot, but then things happened, and I got slightly carried away. Which means there is more to come. But honestly, is there even ever enough Murven? I don't think so. Also for this one, obviously Murphy is not in the Skybox, he just kinda has a reputation fo being trouble, but didn't get himself in enough trouble for the Skybox, because I needed him free, obviously.  
But yeah, this is my first fanfic, certainly my first published one. I have been writing for a while, and also attempted a few fanfics, but never got this far. But yeah, I will stop babbling and let you read. So, enjoy. :) I mean, I hope you will enjoy it.

With the anniversary and celebrations coming up, it was almost all everyone could talk about. For the next few days dance classes were scheduled at school, which most girls were excited about. Raven on the other hand couldn’t share that feeling and thought there were certainly more productive ways to spend her time. However, there was no way out of it, as it was mandatory - explaining the girl’s rather grumpy expression as she was sitting at her desk, fumbling with some parts she “borrowed” from Sinclaire’s workshop.

“Alright, let’s get started!” Miss Lucy said as she walked into the classroom, earning a few excited noises from some girls and an eye roll from Raven. 

They were lined up, facing each other. Right across from her was Murphy, to her left Jasper and to her right Fox. Finn was placed in another line. However, maybe it was better this way, as there was currently some tension between the two of them. He seemed rather happy with his placement - away from Raven and surrounded by other girls. Without wasting any more time on looking at him, she turned back to her group and noticed that Murphy was looking at her. Her eyebrow raised up questioning, but he didn’t avert his gaze. Instead slowly the corners of his lips pulled up into a grin. There was something mischievous in his eyes and Raven didn’t like it one bit.

Everyone was trying to follow the instructions but perhaps not so surprisingly it just turned into a big mess. For a few seconds she considered just slipping out unnoticed, but that plan failed as soon as it crossed her mind due to the hands still holding hers. A while later, what to Raven felt torturously long, they were finally released and Raven was the first to dart out of the room. First, she couldn’t wait to get out of there and second, she didn’t want to bump into Finn and have to talk to him. 

Of course she was aware she couldn’t avoid Finn for always, after all they were neighbours. But even more than that, despite everything that was going on between them right now, she still loved Finn and he was her family. Raven loved him, she just realised, that maybe she didn’t love him the way she always thought she did. Unfortunately she made that realisation after seeing Finn flirt with other girls. So as of right now she didn’t want to talk to him. Eventually she would forgive him, that is just a fact she knew, but she wasn’t ready to do that yet. For now she needed to be mad at him. 

Her legs automatically carried her towards Sinclaire’s workshop. Lately she spent a lot of time there - more than usual, then keeping her hands busy was a good distraction. As she turned around the corner, she almost ran into someone, only managing to stop the last second.

“Sorry, I- Murphy?!” How did he get there? She was the first to leave, how could he be already ahead and walking towards her from the opposite direction? She realised the confusion must be written on her face, then the grin was returning on his face. Oh how she hated that grin of his. Raven silently fantasising about punching him in the face, but was interrupted as he spoke.

“Someone was eager to get out of dance class. Clearly he is clumsy, but Jasper can’t be that bad of a dance partner.”

“If you must know, it had nothing to do with Jasper and his dance skills. Now if you would just let me, I have other things to do.” Raven tried to walk around the boy, but as she moved to the side so did he, blocking her path once again.  
“Come on, Reyes, too afraid to have a little fun? Live a little.” His voice sounded calm, but is eyes told another tale. 

“I don’t need dance classes to be able to have fun.”  
“No, you got Finn for that.”

Raven felt her muscles tense and her fingers curled into fists, still resting by her side. There was no way she was going to talk to Murphy about this. Not now and not ever. He probably already knew they broke up and wanted only to stir up some trouble, then that’s what he was good for. _ Trouble. _Her brown eyes rested on his face, once again feeling the itching need to just punch him. Instead she sighed and bumped her shoulder against his arm as she was pushing past him.

“Go float yourself!” Without looking back she rushed down the hallway. 

Finn was her longest friend, as long as she can remember, she always knew him. His parents have been always kind to her and so has he. Well, at least until recently. The voice in the back of her head reminded her that she wanted that break up too, and it was better this way. That Finn probably knew it already before her, that they worked much better as friends. _ As family _. But not as lovers. However that didn’t make it better and it still hurts. He was her first boyfriend - he was her first everything. It was supposed to hurt.

All the other kids she met after that. Mostly once they started to have group activities together. At the beginning she mostly stuck with Finn, then knowing him was comforting and why did she need to talk to other kids when she already had a friend? But as time passed by, Raven got to know more kids and started to bond with them too. The Ark was not small, but certainly not as big, that at some point you wouldn’t recognize all the faces that walked past you, so of course she knew everyone who was around her age. Even if she didn’t know them well, in some cases she didn’t even know their names, but she knew their faces. 

So of course she knew Murphy, too. Despite being a few months younger than her, he was taller. His face sharp and his blue eyes piercing whenever he looked at her. It would be a lie to say she couldn’t see what some of the girls saw in him. It was annoying, then her mind associated his face and name with trouble. Intentionally or not, he knew how to push her buttons. And that was something she did not want to admit.

* * * * *

Dance classes were scheduled again for the next day and the day after too. Although they got a bit better, it still looked like uncoordinated twisting and turning, instead of dancing. By the end of the class, before they were dismissed, Miss Lucy told them, they would have dance classes all of next week. There was only a limited time left and it turned out teaching them was more challenging than initially anticipated. Raven let out a barely audible groan, that was covered my giggles and clapping. At least she had the weekend to get a break from dancing, even though Miss Lucy advised them to use the time for practicing. 

His time she didn’t rush out, as she didn’t manage to clean up her desk before, so now she walked over to put everything in her bag. 

“Can we talk?” There was no need to turn around to know who the voice belonged to.  
_ I can’t. _ She wanted to say, but suddenly she felt her throat tighten, so instead she stayed silent for a few moments longer, allowing to collect herself and calm down. Once she finished packing, she slowly turned around and her gaze met Finn’s. “Why?” 

Finn seemed puzzled at the question, clearly not the answer he expected. “Because I want to explain-”

“What, Finn?” She cut off his words and gripped the strap of her bags to keep her hands from shaking. “You want to explain what? Why I had to walk in to see you flirt with other girls? Why I had to catch you kissing someone else? Why you looked at her the way you never looked at me? Why you betrayed me? _ Us? _ ”  
“Raven, please understand…”  
“No, Finn, you need to understand that it hurts. You hurt me.” Her eyes sting from the tears she tried to hold back so bad and her throat tightened once again. “I love you and I know you love me too, not the way I thought you did. I know that. You are still my family, the only family I have. But Finn, I can’t talk to you right now. I can’t look at you and not feel the pain. Just… just give me time.” With those words she pushed past him and rushed out of the door, hoping he wasn’t able to see the tears flowing down her cheeks anymore. Out of the corner of her eyes she could see Murphy watching her. Raven wasn’t even aware he was still in the classroom too, but that was the last of her worries right now.

* * * * *

For the entire weekend Raven barely left her room. Sinclaire came over once, to check in on her, which made her feel better for a while. There were also knocks on the door and even when he didn’t announce himself, Raven knew it was Finn. She didn’t want to talk to him, so she just waited until he left and with each time he gave up faster. Even if she knew he just meant well and wanted to make sure she was fine, this was not helping. Right now he was still Finn, her ex-boyfriend and not Finn, her family. 

So, on Monday when it was time for dance class again, she was even less motivated than usual. Sinclaire physically pushed her out of the workshop, not letting her skip class. Even told her to have fun and enjoy herself. As if that was possible. However, she ended up being there earlier and so she sat down and took out some of those parts she was already working on last week.

“Hey Raven.” Murphy sat down next to her, with the same grin as always, blue eyes fixed on her. “How are you?”  
“I’m _ fine _ .” _ Shit _ , she already forgot he witnessed her last conversation with Finn. With a deep breath she turned towards him, her eyes firmly returning his gaze. “Look, I know it’s probably physically impossible for you not to be a butthead, but if you could just leave me alone this one time and forget whatever you saw… It was something between Finn and me and it was _ private _. So just let it go.”

He didn’t say anything, just sat there, watching her. Slowly the grin faded from his lips, but not in a way that it indicated a sudden mood change. Raven couldn’t interpret his expression and finally after he still remained silent she turned back to her mechanical parts. Murphy stayed sitting there next to her - probably still watching her - until Miss Lucy arrived. 

They formed the same lines as on the first day, so once again she found herself in front of Murphy. His gaze felt easier this time, maybe she was just getting used to looking into those blue eyes, that were so different from Finn’s warm brown eyes. 

Miss Lucy clapped and everyone’s attention was on her as she started to give them instructions. “... five. Six. Seven. Eight. Other way. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. And set. And set. Turn with both hands.” Even as Jasper held both of her hands and they turned, she could feel eyes on herself. Jasper was too busy looking down at their feet and Miss Lucy was busy watching another group. Soon she noticed that it was Murphy. “And set. And set. And turn, turn, turn.” Everyone tried to follow along, Raven could tell most of them actually practiced. Well, either that or they just became good overnight, which sounded less likely. Her eyes barely moved from Murphy, for the first time actually noticing him during one of these dance classes. He moved with such an easy that she never expected from him. When he noticed her looking he nodded at her, a small smirk on his lips, although for the majority he tried to keep a serious expression.

“And all three lines reform. Here we go. And together. Two. Three. Four.” They stepped closer, being only inches away from the people in the line across them and the smirk, that was so similar to his usually grin, but yet it was different, reappeared again. “And swing through raised arms to form another set.” 

Just as she wanted to duck under the arms, Murphy caught her hand in his, spin her around and pulled her to his side. Trina, who stood next to Murphy until now looked a bit confused, thought she messed up the steps, but she took Raven’s old spot. Raven’s eyes go to their hands, his fingers having a firm, yet gentle grip on her hand and with a surprised expression she looks up to see him smirking wider than before. And she can’t help herself but to smile back. 

The routine starts from the beginning and despite them standing next to each other this time, they still hold the other’s gaze, not letting it go. This time it’s Murphy’s hands holding her and leading her as they spin around and just for a few seconds it’s like everything slows down and they are all alone. Even as they part from each other, their eyes never break contact, both of them smiling now. Once her hands lays in his again, there is a tingling sense and she is very aware of the fact that John Murphy is holding her hands. Something until now in all the dancing classes they had so far, she never considered and she held Jasper’s hand quite a lot too. As it came to swapping sides again, Raven was back to the spot where she started, across from Murphy. As the music comes to an end, they all bow.

“Well done, well done.” Miss Lucy claps her hands together and there is laughing and chatting already as everyone starts to leave the lines and form their own groups leaving the room. Neither Murphy, nor Raven move, they just stand there, looking at each other with big eyes, the smiles already faded from their lips. Suddenly like she was electrified Raven snaps out of it and rushes to her bag to pick it up. At the door she almost bumps into Murphy, before they but basically run out of the classroom. This was not what she expected from class today. Only now, three hallways away did she notice how fast her heart was beating. 

“Wait!” She immediately turned around and hated herself for the fact, that her heart skipped a beat at the thought it could have been Murphy.  
“Finn.”  
“I hoped we could walk home together.” His brown eyes looked at her hopefully and she let out a sight. Just nodding she started to continue the walk back home. This felt awkward, but at the same time she didn’t mind the silence. At least this way there were no apologies or explanations that she didn’t want to hear.

“So, did you like dance class today?”  
“No, it was horrible and the absolute worst. It’s such a waste of time and I don’t know why everyone makes such a big deal out of it.” Even just at the memory her skin tingled again where he touched her and she hated that this was happening. Angry at herself, him and everything she started to walk faster.  
Finn was surprised, but kept up with the tempo. “It seemed like you enjoyed it, judging by your smile.” Those words made her stop and she looked up at him. So he was watching her? She didn’t even notice, but that would have been hard anyway, as her eyes were too busy laying on Murphy.  
“Geez, Finn, will you just drop it already? I hate dancing. I hate it!”

  


* * * * *

The next day they were back at dance class again, and the whole day Raven felt anxious about having to see Murphy. Actually, she kept looking out for him, so she could avoid bumping into him before she absolutely had to. At her effort to avoid him, she managed to barely make it to class. Getting closer to the room, she slowed down her steps, inching closer to the wall to peek into the classroom, seeing if he was already there. Silently hoping that maybe he would skip class today and when she saw that he was actually not in there, she couldn’t decide if she felt relieved or disappointed.

“Stalking someone, Reyes?” Without a glance at his face she knew he was grinning. Why did he have to look at her like that and why did it make her heart skip? Before she could say anything, he grabbed her hand and pulled her into the classroom behind him. There was no way of protesting. Some people looked up with a puzzled look on their faces, but they soon returned to their conversations again, not paying much attention to them. Raven tried to sneak into one of the other lines for today’s practice, but without success. At least he let go of her hand, so she could take her place across from him instead of next to him.

Raven kept herself busy by paying attention to the steps, watching their feet much like Jasper did yesterday, and avoiding Murphy’s gaze. Despite focusing so much on the instructions, she stepped on Jasper’s feet several times. Giving him an apologetic smile she mumbled a sorry. Miss Lucy let them out earlier, it seemed she thought they made great progress. Something Raven couldn’t agree with, at least not on her part. Maybe if everyone else around her was doing well, no one would notice her failing.

“You are overthinking it.” Murphy caught up with her as she was walking down the hallway. “You can’t apply logic to dancing, you have to feel it.”

“I didn’t ask for advice. It’s just about instructions and I am good with following those. So_ I can and I will _ apply logic.”  
“Quite stubborn, Reyes, aren’t you?” There was that smirk again. “You know Miss Lucy complimented you yesterday, because you were better. Did you dance with logic yesterday?”  
She didn’t even notice the notice yesterday, but she didn’t want to admit that to him, because then she would also have to admit she was busy being distracted by him. There was nothing logical about yesterday’s dance lesson. The way he looked at her, the way he made her smile, the way he made her skin tingle. She could feel her blood rush to her cheeks and turning red. There was only a pout on her lips instead of an actual reply.

Murphy nodded. “Thought so.” He looked behind them, there was a group behind them, but they were still far away that they could only her their voices as low whispers. Murphy took her hand and spun her around, similar to how he did yesterday. As he let go of her hand, she was caught between the wall and his body. He was leaning in, his hand resting next to her head on the wall. “Do yourself a favour and let go. Maybe pick another partner than Jasper, you need someone who can lead you, and he doesn’t seem to be able to. Once you have a better partner, you might as well try to enjoy it. _ I know I did _.” The last few words were just a whisper, sending shivers down her spine.

The other group was no getting closer, Raven glanced over Murphy’s arm and could see them watching them, whispering and giggling. She could even see one of the girls giving her an annoyed look. She knew that look all too well already - several girls looked at her just like that while she was dating Finn. Turning her head back to the boy in front of her she laid her hands on his chest to gently push him away. “Sinclaire needs me, I should go.” Quickly she ducked under his arm, almost running down the hallway before he could stop her. She didn’t even dare to look back. If she would have, she could see he was watching her, still leaning against the wall with a smirk on his lips. 

That night Raven lied awake in her bed, thinking about what happened earlier. Just a week ago she would have said John Murphy was one of the most annoying people on the Ark. And now? Well, he was still annoying, but he also made her feel things she didn’t want to. Not in relation with him. With a groan she turned to her side.

  


* * * * *

Later that day Murphy was already waiting for her at dance class, holding out his hand for her to take. “Ready to abandon logic?” Blinking her eyes moved between his hand and his eyes and before she could stop herself, her hand already laid in his. “Good choice, Reyes.” Although Raven was very focused on keeping her head down and avoid to meet anyone’s eyes, she still caught Finn looking at them, especially their hands. He looked disappointed and even mad, it seemed he was about to walk over to them, when Miss Lucy came in and instructed them to form the lines. Relief washed over her, but she knew Finn would find her later to talk about it. Something she was not looking forward to.

However all that worry and thoughts were pushed aside once the dance started. It was just like the other day when he first grabbed her hand, she let him lead her and it worked way better than the instructions she was trying to follow all this time. Once again she was smiling and as her eyes met Murphy’s, he had an “I told you so” look on his face, which earned him an eye roll from Raven. Yet the smile never faded from her lips. 

This time neither one of them rushed away once the class was over, but instead they walked out together, chatting. “You might be a genius Reyes, but even you can be wrong.”  
“First of all, it happens once in a blue moon and second of all, don’t you dare tell anyone. I would like to let everyone else believe I am without fault.”  
“So you are asking me a secret this big? It’s gonna cost you something.”

“Oh, I have no doubt you will-”

“Raven!” Finn’s voice was firm and they both looked back. Only now did Raven notice that she was still holding Murphy’s hand. So she let go. “What the hell are you doing?”

“We all know, out of the three of us, Raven is the smart one, but it doesn’t take a genius to see that she is having a conversation while she walks to dinner.”

“I’m not talking to you, Murphy!” His eyes turned back to Raven, demanding an answer, and the warmth she always saw in them was nowhere to be found. 

“Well… I am going to the canteen with Murphy… thought that was pretty obvious.” She said a bit hesitant, not sure what was going on right now.

“Oh no, you are not!” He stepped closer and Raven could feel Murphy tense up next to her. Quickly she stepped between the two of them. 

“What’s that supposed to mean? Finn you can’t just-” Before she could finish her sentence Finn grabbed her arm and pulled her into the other direction. Murphy was about to follow, but Raven raised a hand, signaling for him to hold on. She has never seen Finn like this, she wasn’t sure what to expect, however she did see the other boy’s balled fists and the last thing any one of them needed right now was a fight. With a sigh Raven planted her feet firm on the ground not letting Finn pull her any further. “You can’t just drag me away! What are you even thinking?”

“I could ask you the same, Raven! _ Were you even thinking? _ You know his reputation, you heard the same stories I did. It’s just a question of time before he will be caught and floated. This is not the kind of company you should keep! He is _ trouble _!” That last word hit her, then until now she shared that opinion, she knew Murphy was trouble and he was trouble for her, but suddenly she got very defensive.

“Oh so now we are judging people by stories we heard about them, because believe me Finn, I heard plenty about you and none of them paint you in a good light.” He was visibly taken aback by her words and the harshness in her voice. “Do you want me to judge you based on those or rather my knowledge and personal experience with you?” He remained silent, just looking at her and so she took it as a sign to continue. “I know you care about me and want to protect me, at least I really hope that’s why you are doing this and not for some other reason, but I am a big girl and can make my own decisions. Or don’t you trust me? Is that what you are saying?” She let her words sink in for a few moments but not long enough that he could interrupt her. “Look, yes, I know those stories. And I am not stupid to blindly trust anyone. Not anymore. But who I spend my time with is up to me. If I want to become friends with Murphy, then I will. And there is nothing you can do about it, you need to understand that.”

She turned on her heels and walked down the hallway past Murphy, but once she noticed he wasn’t following her, she stopped to look back over her shoulder. “Are you coming?”

Until now he was just standing there, watching them, with a rather surprised look on his face, now a grin broke out on his lips and he quickly caught up with her. “That was… _ something. _”

There was the sudden urge in her to explain, that even if it might not look like it, Finn meant well. He was always there, looking out for her and protecting her. However all those words didn’t come._ Were you even thinking? _ The boys words echoed in her head. How did she end up here, walking next to Murphy, chatting with him and enjoying herself. How did she end up picking Murphy over Finn? Because that’s basically what happened. “Yeah, you probably shouldn’t have heard that.”

“Hey, I was about to step in, but seems like you are more than capable of standing up for yourself, Reyes.” He winked at her, when she finally looked up from her feet, but soon his expression turned concerned. The girl raised an eyebrow with a questioning look. 

“What?”

“Nothing.”

She knew it was not nothing, it was not just a feeling, it was a fact and she considered to push for an answer. What was he not telling her and more importantly why not? Yet she decided to shrug it off. It was not like she was overly keen on sharing all her thoughts with him, so she could understand if he felt the same. Surprisingly she enjoyed his company and she stood up for him, although that was more about what was fair and because she didn’t like if others told her what she could do.

“Now come on, I’m hungry.” And he was happy to comply, because without a word he followed her towards the canteen for their portions. 

There were still empty seats at her friends’ table, but instead Murphy lead her to one that was completely empty. Maybe he just wasn’t getting along with the others as well, although even know she could feel several pairs of eyes resting on them. Quickly she looked around, but couldn’t find Finn anywhere, probably for the better. There was no way she was up for a round two.

“So you want to tell me something, Reyes?”

“W-what?” Her focus returned to the boy, who was now sitting across from her, his elbow resting on the table and his face leaned against his head. He was casually poking his food with his fork.

“I could say I told you so, but I think I would rather hear you say I was right. Maybe even drop a thanks, then I think I certainly deserve one.”

“I think you are delusional.”  
He dropped his fork and was now leaning forward, blue eyes piercing her. “I’m fine, Dr. Reyes. However I believe you enjoyed today’s dance class, much due to having an amazing partner to lead you.”

“Hah!” Raven let out a laugh. Carefully she put down her fork and also leaned closer, they faces were only inches away. He was right and she hated it, because she absolutely despised being wrong. Damn John Murphy. “_ I did enjoy dancing. With you, Murphy. _”


End file.
